Volume 1, Chapter 60: Hiding a Heart That Refuses to Yield to Fate

The Grand Princess's Manor.

Zhao Wujiang sat in quiet contemplation, while Li Zhaohua leisurely brewed tea.

[Why on earth is she in such a rush to summon me? Just to watch her brew tea?]
[Or could it be that in broad daylight under the bright sky, she harbors illicit intentions toward me?]

Not long after finishing his cultivation of the *Wedding Dress Divine Art*, Zhao Wujiang had received a message from Li Zhaohua requesting his presence. He had hurried over, only to wait for the better part of the day without Li Zhaohua revealing any pressing matter.

Hearing his inner voice, Li Zhaohua smiled faintly and pushed a cup of tea across the table to him.

"Brewing tea requires patience, and so does drinking it."

"Naturally, good things take time," Zhao Wujiang replied with refined elegance, gulping down the tea in a single swallow, much like feeding premium ginseng to a pig.

He asked:
"Did the Grand Princess summon me for something important?"

"You youngsters have fiery tempers, always restless and lacking in patience." Li Zhaohua shook her head with a smile.

What she valued most about Zhao Wujiang was precisely his temperament.

He was both cautious and bold, steady yet mercurial. He possessed the vitality proper to his youth rather than deep, unfathomable scheming. She disliked youths with profound hidden agendas, as keeping them simple allowed her to maintain dominance in their future alliance.

"Here." Li Zhaohua produced a small booklet and handed it to Zhao Wujiang.

"You might find this useful."

Puzzled, Zhao Wujiang accepted the booklet. As his gaze slowly widened, he realized the contents were none other than the detailed inner-field map of the imperial hunting grounds for the upcoming autumn hunt—precisely what he needed.

The level of detail in this map was terrifying. If a major battle were to break out with the imperial hunting grounds as the battlefield, anyone studying this booklet would find the terrain riddled with weaknesses, completely exposed on all sides.

"This is?"

Zhao Wujiang felt as though the item were burning his hands. The more he looked at it, the more it resembled the detailed strategic maps of the fifty-li radius around the capital that Li Zhaohua had meticulously surveyed over the years in preparation for rebellion.

And the imperial hunting grounds happened to fall right within that radius. Learning of his need, Li Zhaohua had simply plucked it out.

"I know you asked Yunrui to help you procure a map of the autumn hunting grounds." Li Zhaohua made no attempt to conceal it.

"Over the years, whether for the autumn or winter hunts, it has long been commonplace for imperial clansmen and high-ranking officials to privately circulate such maps.

It's just that mine happens to be a bit more detailed.

Well? Are you satisfied with what you see?"

"Satisfied." Accepting the favor, Zhao Wujiang nodded and smiled, saying:
"It seems the Grand Princess is truly well-prepared..."

"Naturally. One must have the patience to properly brew tea..." Li Zhaohua smiled brightly.

"Now, all that's missing are a few people willing to share the tea together.

How did it feel after drinking it just now?

Would you care for another cup?"

She's inviting me to join her camp... Zhao Wujiang twirled his teacup and pushed it forward.

"I'm a man of clumsy speech and can't taste the subtleties. I'm afraid I might辜负 (fail to appreciate) the Grand Princess's kind intentions."

Li Zhaohua took the cup, filled it to the brim, but instead of handing it back to Zhao Wujiang, she drank it in one go. Covering her mouth, she chuckled softly:

"I am Li Zhaohua, not Li Zaiyuan. I am not one to slaughter the hound once the hares are caught."

[Who knows? Women are all the same. They say sweet things, only to discard you after lulling you into a false sense of security, betraying your affection and leaving you drowning in a debt of conscience...]

Zhao Wujiang smiled brightly:

"I trust the Grand Princess completely."

Listening to his discordant inner thoughts while his words said otherwise, Li Zhaohua rested her delicate hand on the back of his hand, gently stroking it.

"How am I to know whether you truly trust me, or are merely putting on an act?"

[Naturally an act! If I said I trust you, would you even believe yourself?]

Zhao Wujiang patted his chest with a resounding thud.

"By heaven and earth, the sun and the moon as my witness! If the Grand Princess doubts me, I am willing to carve out this heart for you to see."

"Such a glib tongue. If I truly asked for it, would you really carve it out?" Li Zhaohua pursed her lips into a smile, her natural allure radiating effortlessly.

"I would!"

Zhao Wujiang replied without changing his expression. As he spoke, he lifted the hem of his long robe, making a motion as if he intended to fish something out.

The Grand Princess retorted with amusement:
"Is your heart not in your chest?"

"The original one? I already carved that out and gave it to my old man and Yunrui long ago," Zhao Wujiang said with absolute solemnity.

"But no matter, I have a spare."

Though it sounded like mere banter, Zhao Wujiang was actually speaking the truth.

Everyone in this world possessed a heart, but his was not like those of ordinary people, resting peacefully in their bellies or beating passionately within their chests.

Because of the targeting by the reigning Emperor Li Zaiyuan, the covetousness and murderous intent of the destined protagonist Long Zhan, and the secret surveillance and manipulative plots of others, his heart had long since been hidden away in a place unseen by ordinary eyes.

The few who could see this heart of his included his old man, the fiercely loyal old steward, and his wife Li Yunrui, but they did not include Li Zhaohua, who was merely playing a part alongside him at this moment.

He and Li Zhaohua were engaged in a mutual exchange of utility; the time for true intimacy had not yet arrived.

He did not trust Li Zhaohua.

Among all the players entangled in this treacherous game of wits, the only person he trusted was himself.

Feigning compliance, merely playing the part.

"Is that so? Let me have a look."

Resting her delicate chin in her hand, Li Zhaohua wanted to catch a glimpse of this hidden heart of Zhao Wujiang's. She was a woman in her thirties; what hadn't she seen?

Old foxes or young whelps alike, she could bend them all to her will!

She was confident in her ability to master everything!

[You want to see? I want to see too! Did you pay an admission fee just to look? Oh wait, you actually did—the map was quite nice.]

Zhao Wujiang's movements froze. Since Li Zhaohua wasn't afraid, what did he have to fear?

Yet just as he prepared to reach into his robes, the sound of footsteps echoed from outside the door. At first, it sounded like two people, followed by the dragging of some heavy object, accompanied by the faint stench of fresh blood.

He glanced sideways toward the entrance.

"Greetings, Grand Princess," someone reported respectfully from outside.

"How shall Zhang Xingzhou be dealt with?"

Zhang Xingzhou? Zhao Wujiang's sword-like brows furrowed. Zhang Xingzhou, a future powerhouse from the original novel—what had happened to him?

"By the rules, kill him." Li Zhaohua sipped her tea with utter nonchalance, using the very same cup Zhao Wujiang had drunk from earlier. A faint smile played on her lips, while her eyes gleamed with ruthlessness.

Zhao Wujiang had no desire to see Zhang Xingzhou die just like that. Although he had no personal connection to the man, countering the destined protagonist Long Zhan required seizing every possible opportunity to diminish Long Zhan's fortuitous encounters while expanding his own.

Only through such shifting tides could he ultimately triumph over Long Zhan, or at least avoid the tragic fate of the doomed villain.

He raised a hand to intervene.

"Hold on."

Li Zhaohua looked at Zhao Wujiang, appearing entirely unsurprised as she awaited his next words.

She had noticed yesterday that Zhao Wujiang showed unusual interest in this swordsman named Zhang Xingzhou. When Zhang Xingzhou made a mistake, she had deliberately spared his life precisely to test Zhao Wujiang's true intentions.

"What transgression has Zhang Xingzhou committed?" Zhao Wujiang inquired.

"He failed in his mission and made a grave error," Li Zhaohua observed Zhao Wujiang's expression.

"He was irresolute. He should have uprooted all potential threats, yet he showed mercy to a mere child.

A single child can cause a catastrophic mistake, ruining all our preparations."

"And the child?" Zhao Wujiang called out toward the courtyard.

"Reporting to the Grand Princess, the child has been executed. Zhang Xingzhou alone committed the infraction." The reply came in a sharp, chilling voice—likely the twin-blade swordsman Wang Zijun, one of the three subordinates from yesterday.

Zhao Wujiang reached out to take the Grand Princess's teacup:

"Since the child is dead and the mission completed, why not grant Zhang Xingzhou a second chance?"

The Grand Princess handed him the tea with a meaningful look.

"You value him quite a bit? If I recall correctly, you two have only met once before. Or had you met earlier?"

"Indeed, only a single meeting!" Having decided to save Zhang Xingzhou, Zhao Wujiang had already prepared his strategy and phrasing. His tone was steady.

"As I said yesterday, we... are all people belonging to the Grand Princess.

Since we are our own people, why not be more generous with second chances?

Instead of showing leniency to outsiders, it is better to be lenient toward one's own, wouldn't you agree, Grand Princess?"

"Interesting..." Li Zhaohua nodded, flashing Zhao Wujiang a charming smile.

"Only because you are the one pleading for him today. If it were anyone else, I wouldn't even have entertained the thought...

Release him!"

At her command, the guards outside paused for a fraction of a moment before respectfully complying and lowering Zhang Xingzhou's battered body.

Zhao Wujiang stood up and pushed the door open.

Li Zhaohua made no move to stop him. The life or death of a mere subordinate was of no consequence to her; what mattered was Zhao Wujiang, the chess piece she had set her sights on.

Zhao Wujiang walked toward Zhang Xingzhou, who lay collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath. The swordsman's garments were torn to shreds, covered entirely in bloody whip-welts.

He slowly crouched down and whispered:

"I rather like your mercy, because I possess it too.

I rather despise your indecisiveness, because I possess that too.

However, as for certain matters...

Think about why you came to this place."

Realizing that it was once again the young marquis who had saved his life, Zhang Xingzhou raised his head with immense difficulty. His thoughts were churning violently—did the young marquis know his situation?

Zhao Wujiang produced a banknote, folded it neatly, and tucked it into the folds of Zhang Xingzhou's tattered garments.

"Use this silver to tend to your wounds, and to properly care for your mother..."

Tears instantly flooded Zhang Xingzhou's eyes. Staring blankly at Zhao Wujiang, whose gaze seemed mirrored in his own tear-blurred vision, he had always believed that the noble clans and high officials were cold-blooded, ruthless scoundrels engaging in filthy deeds. He had never imagined he would encounter a man like Zhao Wujiang—born in the mire yet appearing utterly unstained...

"Why are you kindly helping me?" Zhang Xingzhou's voice trembled.

"Certainly not out of the goodness of my heart..." Zhao Wujiang slowly stood up, a smile gracing his face while his voice turned hoarse.

"Because I believe that one day in the future, you will become truly formidable..."